Lowrance HDS ?

[TrevorW]

So I'm gonna be purchasing the HDS units for my boat. I plan on using the standard Lowrance transducer on my trolling motor. My question is with the unit hooked up to structure scan will I be able to at least get down imaging at the bow on the HDS 5 with the standard transducer on the trolling motor or will I only be able to use sonar? I guess I'm not real sure how that works...

[LWinches]

You'll have both and depending on your age and vision you may be delighted. I have a HDS10,8, & 5x. My vision is not what it should be and the structure scan, side and down on the 5 is difficult. My fishing buddy sees better than I do and uses the 5x at the back of the boat. He has the 2D sonar on the left side of the screen and structure scan on the right side. It is amazing how crisp the display is. When I put on my glasses and get at the right distance from it I am impressed. With the 10 and 8 I don't wear my glasses. With all that said the consensus on this board is to buy the biggest unit your budget allows.

[TrevorW]

Originally Posted by LWinches

You'll have both and depending on your age and vision you may be delighted. I have a HDS10,8, & 5x. My vision is not what it should be and the structure scan, side and down on the 5 is difficult. My fishing buddy sees better than I do and uses the 5x at the back of the boat. He has the 2D sonar on the left side of the screen and structure scan on the right side. It is amazing how crisp the display is. When I put on my glasses and get at the right distance from it I am impressed. With the 10 and 8 I don't wear my glasses. With all that said the consensus on this board is to buy the biggest unit your budget allows.

Exactly the answer I was looking for. I see like an eagle when I wear corrective lenses

[Fastcat]

You will have to mount the structure scan transducer to use the down and side imagining. So I am assuming in your situation you will be using your 2d transducer on the trolling motor you will have the 2d available there, you could mount the stucturescan transducer on the transom and would see di/si from there. So while @the bow your 2d would be from the front of the boat, but any di/si image would be from the stern. I hope this makes sense to you, to sum it up the traditional transducer will not give you di/si.

[1860Angler]

You will also need the 2d sonar transducer mounted on the transom for a total of three transducers:

1. 2d Sonar transom mounted
2. 2d Sonar trolling motor mounted
3. Structure Scan/SI/DI transom mounted

Connect all units with Ethernet cables to the structure scan module along with the structure scan tranducer, the transom mounted sonar transducer to the console unit and the trolling motor mounted transducer to the bow unit and you will be good to go.

[Hawker]

With Lowrance HDS, in order to get 2D sonar and Down/Side Scan imaging, it requires two separate transducers. One for the conventional 2D sonar, and a separate LSS-1 transducer for down/side scan imaging and the LSS-1 module. You can mount your 2D transducer at the TM and the LSS-1 transducer at the transom and everything will work fine with the exception that you will not be able to overlay the "down imaging" onto the 2D sonar screen and it be correct. I've got both my transducers mounted side by side at the transom and the overlay feature I mentioned is kind of unique, but I myself seldom utilize it!

You stated you'll be purchasing HDS "units", so I'm assuming your plan is to have more than one unit which you'll end up networking, correct? If that's the case, then you'll be able to mount the 2D sonar transducer of one unit at the transom next to the LSS-1 transducer, the 2D transducer of the second unit on the TM, and with the units being networked together, you'll have the option of utilizing whichever transducers you choose!

[TrevorW]

Originally Posted by Hawker

With Lowrance HDS, in order to get 2D sonar and Down/Side Scan imaging, it requires two separate transducers. One for the conventional 2D sonar, and a separate LSS-1 transducer for down/side scan imaging and the LSS-1 module. You can mount your 2D transducer at the TM and the LSS-1 transducer at the transom and everything will work fine with the exception that you will not be able to overlay the "down imaging" onto the 2D sonar screen and it be correct. I've got both my transducers mounted side by side at the transom and the overlay feature I mentioned is kind of unique, but I myself seldom utilize it!

You stated you'll be purchasing HDS "units", so I'm assuming your plan is to have more than one unit which you'll end up networking, correct? If that's the case, then you'll be able to mount the 2D sonar transducer of one unit at the transom next to the LSS-1 transducer, the 2D transducer of the second unit on the TM, and with the units being networked together, you'll have the option of utilizing whichever transducers you choose!

That's my plan, I am eventually gonna replace my old ray marine unit with an HDS 7 at the Helm and use the 5 on the bow. I know the 5 is gonna be kind of small to really use the side imaging on but for down imaging and 2D sonar it will work just fine. I will use the 7 for scouting areas and marking waypoints and fish from the front.

[rdambros]

I have an HDS 8 at the helm and an HDS 7 at the bow. I want the bow mount to use the transducer at the TM and the HDS 8 to use the transducer at the transom. However, everytime I change the settings, it changes the settings for both units.

What I'm doing is going to networks, data sources, sonar and selecting "this unit" for the transducer.

I don't know what I am doing wrong. How do I change the transducer for the bow mount independently from the one mounted at the helm.

[LWinches]

No problem. Go to the Sonar menu on each unit and turn networking off. Each unit will then use its own transducer. Networking for 2D causes both units to use the same transducer. If you have structure scan hooked up these changes will not change anything there.